At 75, Wayland resident is still working to preserve history, traditions

J. L. Smith shows off his display of three decades of graduating classes from Wayland High School. The photos were rescued from a trash can.Sherry Kuyt

If you're a longtime Wayland resident, you might be in Jay Smith's book.

Smith, who usually goes by the moniker "J. L.," has a red calendar binder containing the names and birthdates of about 200 local residents.

Tucked inside the book, in chronological order, are greeting cards that he has previously addressed and signed.

Every day, he turns a page and mails out the cards to the recipients.

It's an efficient system, one that has worked well for many years - both for Smith and for his father, Ivan, the former owner of Smith Lumber in Wayland. Ivan inherited it from his own father, also named J. L. Smith.

When Ivan passed the business on to his son, he also passed along the greeting-card tradition, begun over 60 years ago.

"My Dad always said, 'People appreciate birthday cards,'" Smith said.

At one time, Ivan was sending out approximately 1,500 cards every year to customers and others in the community. His secretary, Mary Amborski Smith - no relation - was in charge of that task until she passed away at age 100.

"In a world where there seems to be so much unhappiness expressed, it's so pleasant to receive my birthday card from J. Smith. Little kindnesses do mean a lot," she said.

She has been receiving the cards for many years, and said the annual reminder always brought cheer and comfort.

"One year, it was the only card I got," Trutsch said. "I know a lot of other people in town say, 'Well, I got my card from J. L.'"

Smith Lumber is no longer in business. The building at 710 W. Maple is up for sale, but Smith still comes in for a few hours every day.

Occasionally, he repairs a broken window or screen for someone who stops by. He also maintains the greeting-card list, which shrinks every year as recipients pass away.

But he spends most of his time sorting and cataloging his collection of vintage photos and other memorabilia.

Many items were left behind by his father, an avid collector and photographer. Some were once owned by Fanny Hoyt, the first librarian in Wayland. He acquired others from the estate of his aunt, former Wayland school teacher Julia Smith.

"I've learned more about my family, just going through boxes and boxes of old papers," he said.

His aunt's legacy included 31 large photo displays, representing every graduating class of Wayland High School from 1929 to 1959.

Smith said they were salvaged from a trash can, where they had been tossed during the move to the current high school building.

He made a frame for each display and covered them with glass. They now hang on the walls of his store, along with other pieces of local history.

"A lot of people like to come in and look for 'Grandpa' or 'Dad,'" he said.

His collection contains some unusual items. One aquarium contains a large preserved catfish. Smith said he once had half-a-dozen aquariums full of fish, frogs, and turtles, and children would beg to come along to the lumber company so they could see them.

Occasionally, someone would bring him a pet fish that they were no longer able - or willing - to care for. "They didn't want to flush it," he recalled.

He and his father would also take in unwanted cats, caring for more than a dozen at a time. About half that many now wander the property.

One of them is Spooks, an orange tabby who used to chase mice but is now content to sit quietly and meditate.

"He's getting old," Smith said.

Sooner or later, the building will probably be sold. Until then, Smith plans to continue his efforts to keep community history and family traditions alive.

He continues to receive vintage items from people who inherited them from a departed relative. "They don't know what to do with it," he said.

He would like to see a new historical museum established in Wayland, but doubts that will happen during his lifetime.

So, Smith has instructed his family that his collection should be donated to the Then & Now Genealogical Library in Dorr upon his death.

"When I kick the bucket ... instead of throwing it away, give it to them," he said.